Adjustable port ring construction



ADJUSTABLE PORT RING CONSTRUCTION 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec.

1 m 7 2 I 2 m E a V 2 g m c 8 O I 2 0. 8 u A WILLIAM B. HANSEL ATTORNEYNov. 28, 1967 w. B. HANSEL ADJUSTABLE PORT RING CONSTRUCTION 4Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 5. 1964 INVENTOR.

YWILLIAM B. HANSEL B M/ W ATTORNEY W. B. HANSEL Nov. 28, 1967 ADJUSTABLEPORT RING GONSTRUCTiON Filed Dec.

4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Fig. 8

3O INVENTOR. WILLIAM B. HANSEL ATTORNEY Nov. 28, 1967 w. B. HANSELADJUSTABLE PORT RING CONSTRUCTION 4 Sheets-Shet 4 Filed Dec.

Fig. /0

6 4 5 All m 5 FM 4 n ll In 4 D 4 r. 9T; S A r a e 5 WILLIAM B. HANSELATTOR NEY United States Patent 3,355,256 ADJUSTABLE PORT RINGCONSTRUCTION William B. Hansel, Media, Pa., assignor to Sun Oil Company,Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Dec. 3, 1964, Ser.No. 415,764 6 Claims. (Cl. 23-284) This invention relates to anadjustable port ring construction for a so-called wave reactor, whichlatter is a term commonly applied to a chemical reactor wherein certainendothermic chemical reactions may be carried out by subjecting areactant material to one or more mechanical shock waves; such shockwaves produce a high temperature in the reactant material for a veryshort period of time.

One type of wave reactor which has been devised comprises a straightelongated shock tube rotatably driven about an axis transverse to itslength, within a port ring whose longitudinal axis is substantiallycollinear with the axis of rotation of the tube; by way of example, theaxis of rotation of the tube and the longitudinal axis of the ring maybe horizontally disposed, so that the tube rotates essentially in avertical plane. For convenience, the shock tube is embedded in a discsome twelve inches in diameter, for example, which disc is rotated at ahigh rate of speed about the aforesaid horizontally-disposed axis ofrotation, in essentially a vertical plane. A wave reactor of the typejust d scribed is disclosed in detail in my copending application, Ser.No. 326,009, filed Nov. 26, 1963, which ripened on June 7, 1966, intoPatent No. 3,254,960.

At the present time, although the theory of operation of the wavereactor is fairly well understood, the optimum reactor design criteria,for the various chemical reactions contemplated, have not as yet beenfully established. Therefore, a certain amount of experimentation isstill necessary to establish these criteria, this experimentationpreferably taking the form of operation of the reaction (on a cut andtry basis) with different port ring designs. Some of the reactor designcriteria above referred to are the number, arcuate lengths, and angularlocations of the ports and recesses in the port ring (which communicatewith the shock tube as the latter rotates), the number and locations ofthe pipes (by means of which gases are conveyed to and from the shocktube through the port ring), etc.

Formerly, in order to try different port ring designs in an operatingwave reactor, it was necessary to separately machine out each differentport ring to be tried, the result of the machining being a permanent,non-adjustable structure. Since the machine-forming of the port ring isquite an expensive and time-consuming operation, it is obviously ratherimpractical, if not impossible, to experiment with very many differentring designs on this basis.

An object of this invention is to provide a construction whereby any oneof a very large number of different polt ring designs may be readilyapplied to a wave reactor, for experimental purposes.

Another object is to provide an construction for wave reactors.

A further object is to provide an arrangement for per.- forming theforegoing objects in a relatively simple yet effective manner. i

The objects of this invention are accomplished, briefly, in thefollowing manner: A port ring assembly is ,com posed of two ring memberswhich are removably secured together in overlying or sandwiched relationwhen the assembly is set up for operation in a wave reactor. One ofthese two rings (which may be termed the holder half of the ringassembly) is provided with a multiplicity (e.g., about 120) ofequiangularly-spaced, radially-extending, square-cornered, U-shapedgrooves, 'in each of which is adjustable port ring a positioned aclosely-fitting piece of square rod or tubing, each piece of rod ortubing being adjustable lengthwise (radially) in its respective groove.In the case of the rods, the respective grooves are closed up, while inthe case of the tubes, ports or passages are provided (by the tubes)radially through the ring. The other of the two rings (which may betermed the cover or clamp half of the ring assembly) is essentiallyplanar and is secured by screws to the holder half, in overlyingrelation thereto, to hold the pieces of rod or tubing in their adjustedpositions in their respective grooves. The sandwiched port ring assemblyis mounted in the wave reactor by means of suitable supporting coverplates.

A detailed description of the invention follows, taken conjunction withthe accompanying drawings, wherein: FIG. 1 is a partial upper face viewof the holder half of the ring assembly of the invention, illustratingseveral square elongated elements in place in their squared grooves;

FIG. 2 is a cross-section taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-section taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-section taken on line 44 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a partial upper face view of the clamp or cover half ofthering assembly of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a cross-section taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a cross-section taken on line 77 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a partial top view of the novel port ring assembly, certainportions thereof being broken away;

FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional of a wave reactor utilizing the portring assembly of the invention; and

FIG. '10 is a somewhat schematic representation of the holder and clampsections of the novel port ring assembly, as set up for operation in awave reactor, part of the clamp section being cut away.

The port ring assembly of this invention is capable of being used as asubstitute for the port ring-and-manifold combination described in myaforementioned application, in the wave reactor described in suchapplication. In such use, the port ring assembly closely surrounds arotating disc (rotating essentially in a vertical plane, about ahorizontal axis) which diametrically carries a shock tube, so that theends of the tube pass closely adjacent the ports contained in the portring. The port ring assembly is mounted with its longitudinal axisextending substantially horizontally.

Now refer to FIGS. l-4. The holder half or holder section 1 of the portring assembly is formed from a suitable metal and is toroidal orring-shaped, with an inner diameter of say twelve inches (such as toclosely surround the disc previously referred to) and an outer diameterof say nineteen inches. In FIG. 1, only a little over (of the full 360circumference of the ring) is shown, since the element is of symmetricalconstruction. A multiplicity (to be exact, about in number) ofequiangularly-spaced (spaced 3 apart, center-to-center, around thecircumference), radiallyextending, squarecornered, U-shaped grooves '2are cut into the upper face of ring 1. These grooves may be (by way ofexample) about inch wide by A inch deep, and they extend from the outeredge of ring 1 to a point spaced /2 inch radially outwardly from theinner edge of this ring; thus, the grooves have a length of about threeinches. As shown .in FIG. 2, the material of the annular area betweenthe inner ends of the grooves 2 and the inner edge of ring 1 is .cutaway to the depth of the grooves, so that an elongated member positionedin any one of the grooves may be moved lengthwise in .its groove, beyondthe radially inner end of the groove, to a point aligned with the inneredge of ring 1 The grooves 2 are adapted to receive therein respectiveelongated radially-extending members; when the port ring assembly is setup for operation as a part of a wave reactor, there will be a memberpositioned within each and every one of the grooves. To illustrate thepossibilities, four of these members are depicted in FIG. 1. See alsoFIG. 4. The elongated radially-extending members can be either pieces of;-inch square brass rod, as at 3 and 3', or pieces of .3l3-inch squaretubing, as at 4 and 4. If a port or passageway (extending radiallythrough the ring 1) is desired at a certain angular location, a piece oftubing such as 4 or 4' would be positioned within the proper groove 2,while at those angular locations where ports are not desired, pieces ofsolid rod such as 3 or 3 would be positioned within the grooves. Whenthe ring section 1 is ready for final assembly in the port ring, therewill be either a piece of tubing or a solid rod in each of the grooves2. The outer surfaces of the rods and tubes fit very closely within thegrooves, so as to seal the rods or tubes within their respectivegrooves.

Each of the elongated members (which are positioned within therespective grooves) is capable of being placed (and thereafter clamped)in either an inserted or a retracted position, as desired; that is tosay, each piece of rod or tubing is adjustable lengthwise (radially) inits respective groove to one position or the other. These two positionsare illustrated in FIG. 1. The rod 3 is in the inserted position,wherein its inner end is aligned with the radially-inner edge of ring 1,while the rod 3 is in the retracted position, wherein its inner end iswithdrawn so as to be in alignment with the radially-inner end of thegroove 2. Similarly, tubing 4 is in the retracted position, while tubing4 is in the inserted position. It may be seen that this radialadjustability of the elongated members in the grooves provides foradditional flexibility. That is to say, any number of adjacent membersmay be placed in the retracted position, thereby to provide a continuousrecess or pocket of any desired angular length at the inner edge of theport ring, and at any desired angular location. Such a recess or pocketis illustrated at 5 in FIGS. 8 and 10.

Wave reactors employing recesses or pockets are shown in copendingapplications Ser. Nos. 349,884 and 350,463, filed Mar. 6, 1964, and Mar.9, 1964, respectively, now Patents 3,262,757 and 3,272,598,respectively.

It is desired to again be pointed out that, when the port ring assemblyof this invention is finally assembled, an elongated member (to wit,either a rod such as 3, or a tube such as 4) is positioned in each andevery one of the grooves 2. However, to simplify the illustration, onlyfour of these members are shown in FIG. 1. By appropriate selection ofthe type of elongated member (either a rod or a tube) for eachparticular groove, any desired number of ports, extending radiallythrough the ring, may be provided, and at any desired angular location,the angular location being limited only by the 3 angular spacing betweenadjacent ones of the grooves 2. As previously described, to provide aport at a particular location, a tube would be selected as the elongatedmember for this location, and for the other locations a solid rod wouldbe selected as the elongated member. By appropriate radial positioningof the elongated members in the grooves, any desired number of recessesor pockets may be provided in the port ring, these being at any desiredangular location, and of any desired angular length. Thus, it may beseen that the port ring arrangement of this invention provides theultimate in flexibility.

In order to enable the connection of a pipe of circular cross-section tothe outer ends of the tubing pices, a short piece of round tubing 6 (forexample /2-inch O.D. thinwalled tubing) is secured to one end of each ofthe pieces of square tubing such as 4 and 4'. The tubing pieces 6 aresecured by welding or silver soldering, as at 7, to the radially-outerends of the respective square tubing pieces. By way of example, thecircular tubing pieces 6 may be 1 /2 inches in length, while the squaretubing pieces 4 and 4 (as well as the solid pieces 3 and 3) may be fiveinches in length.

As previously stated, the grooves 2 are 3 apart; these grooves areprovided throughout the entire 360 circumference of the ring, with theexception of a limited area at each end of a horizontally-extendingdiameter, as will presently be described. Thus, the grooves areapproximately in number.

A pair of diametrically-opposite cavities 8 (one of which is shown inFIG. 1) are cut into the upper face of ring 1, one cavity 8 at eachrespective end of a horizontally-extending diameter of the ring, forreception of respective nozzle assemblies 9 (see FIG. 8). Cavities 8 attheir wider portions have an angular Width equivalent to several of thegrooves 2, and a depth somewhat greater than the depth of these grooves,as illustrated in FIG. 3. Cavities 8 are wider (referring to the angularwidth in FIG. 1) at their radially-inner ends, and have a total radiallength equal to the radial width of ring 1; that is to say, they extendin a radial direction entirely through the (radial) width of ring 1. Theradial length of the wider portion of each cavity is about /3 of itstotal length, and the narrow portion of each cavity 8 is centered on thehorizontal diameter of ring 1.

As shown in FIG. 8, each nozzle assembly 9 has an enlarged inner endwhich is positioned in the wider portion of the respective cavity 8.Such enlarged inner end comprises a housing 10 formed at the inner endof a short length of pipe 11, and a cover plate 12 secured to the innerend of housing 10. The inner face of plate 12 has a curvature whichmatches the curvature of the inner face of ring 1, and has a restrictednozzle opening 13 therethrough which communicates with the terminalchamber 14 provided by housing 10; the bore of pipe 11 also communicateswith chamber 14, at the side thereof opposite to opening 13.

The outer end of the pipe 11 is secured (as by welding) to the inner endof a conduit 15 which is connected to a suitable source of pressureddriver gas, such as hydrogen. As the shock tube (not shown), whichrotates within ring 1, comes into alignment with thediametrically-opposite openings 13, shock Waves are created in suchtube, as explained in the aforementioned copendin-g applications.

In order to secure the nozzle assemblies 9 in position in theirrespective cavities 8, bolted flanges such as 16 are utilized. Each bolt17 passes through the flange 16 and also through a plug 13 positioned inthe outer end of one of the grooves 2, and threads into a plug 19 alsopositioned in said one groove. The outer end of plug 19 and the innerend of plug 18 have matching conical surfaces which cause plug 19 tofirmly engage the walls of groove 2 as bolt 17 is tightened.

A difierential screw arrangement, utilizing a nut 20 which engagesthreads provided on flange 16 and also threads provided on conduit 15,serves to secure the flange and conduit together, and also to provide alimited radial movement of the conduit (and also of the nozzle opening13) with respect to the fixed flange 16. This dilferential screwarrangement, which enables each nozzle opening 13 to be adjustedradially within its respective cavity 8 over a small range, is disclosedand claimed in my copending application, Ser. No. 334,523, filed Dec.30, 1963, which ripened on Aug. 2, 1966 into Patent No. 3,263,645.

In order to provide for the possibility of sampling the contents of theshock tube as the latter rotates within the port ring, one or moresampling-type elongated members may be provided, for utilization in anyselected one of the grooves 2; by insertion of such a member in anyselected groove, instead of a rod 3 or a tube 4, the sampling may bemade to occur at any desired angular location around the ring 1, andthus at any desired point in the cycle of operation of the wave reactor.In FIG. 8, a sampling-type elongated member is illustrated at 21, inposition in one of the grooves 2. A sampling member 21 may be made fromone of the pieces of tubing 4 by swaging down two opposite sides of thesquare tubing, at the inner end thereof, to provide a chisel-like end22, in which there is a long,

narrow entrance slot which communicates with the square bore of thetubing. Such a slot is very narrow in one direction, but extends thefull width of the original tubing bore in the other direction. Thesampling member 21 may be positioned in its groove 2 in either of tworespective senses, to wit, one wherein the narrow dimension of theentrance slot is in the direction of rotation of the shock tube (this isthe sense illustrated in FIG. 8), or one wherein the narrow dimension ofthe entrance slot is in a direction perpendicular to the plane of thepaper in FIG. 8. The sampling member 21 is positioned in the insertedposition in its groove 2, so that its entrance slot is aligned with theradially-inner edge of ring 1.

A pipe 23, whose diameter may for example be the same as that of conduit15, may be fastened to the outer end of the sampling member 21, and thesampling member 21 may then for convenience be mounted in the selectedone of grooves 2 by means of a mechanical mounting arrangement exactlysimilar to that previously described (at 16-19) for securing the nozzleassembly 9 in position in its cavity. The sample pipe 23 may be coupledat 24 to another pipe 25 extending to a suitable sample-collectingdevice or chamber 26 (FIG. 10).

An annular groove 26, for the accommodation therein of an O-ring, is cutinto the lower or bottom face of ring 1, near the inner edge thereof.

Twelve equally-spaced tapped holes 27 are provided in ring 1 near theouter edge thereof, these holes being centered for example on a 18/2-inch diameter base circle and the center lines of the holes beingparallel to the ring axis. Holes 27 are located between the grooves 2,these holes then passing through certain of the walls separatingadjacent grooves.

Twenty larger-diameter tapped holes 28 are provided in the main(ungrooved) body portion of ring 1 near the inner edge thereof, theseholes being centered for example on a 13 /2-inch diameter base circleand the center lines of the holes being parallel to the ring axis.

The holder half of the port ring assembly (which has been referred tofor brevity as ring 1) has previously been described. There will now bedescribed the cover or clamp half of the port ring assembly, which mayalso be thought of as the cover or clamp section of the port ringassembly. The clamp half of the port ring assembly functions to clampthe various elongated members 3, 3', 4, 4, etc. in position in theirrespective grooves 2, as well as to cover the open tops of all ofgrooves 2 and the open tops of the cavities 8. When the port ringassembly of this invention is ready for final assembly there is anelongated member of one type or another (that is to say, either a squarerod 3, a square tube 4, or a sampling member 21) in each and every oneof the grooves 2, and there is a nozzle assembly 9 in each of the twodiametrically-opposite cavities 8.

For convenience, as well as brevity, the clamp half of the port ringassembly may occasionally be referred to hereafter as a ring.

Now refer to FIG. 5. The clamp or cover half 29 of the port ringassembly is formed from a suitable metal and is toroidal or ring-shaped,with inner and outer diameters equal to those of the holder half 1. InFIG. 5, only a little over 90 (of the full 360 circumference of the ring29) is shown, since the element is of symmetrical construction.

A pair of diametrically-opposite cavities 30 (one of which is shown inFIG. are cut into the lower face of ring 29, one cavity 3d at eachrespective end of a horizontally-extending diameter of the ring.Cavities 30 have exactly the same configuration as cavities 8 in ring 1,and (when ring 29 is secured in face-to-face overlying relation to ringit to form a sandwich) receive therein the upper ends of the respectivenozzle assemblies 9, which upper ends extend above the plane of theupper surfaces of the walls between grooves 2. Cavities 30 each have adepth (see FIG. 7) such as to permit (Without any interference of thisinvention. For convenience in illustration,

from the nozzle assemblies 2) the lower face of ring 29 to be broughtdown snugly onto the upper surfaces of the walls (dividers) separatinggrooves 2.

Twelve equally-spaced clearance holes 31 are drilled in ring 29 near theouter edge thereof, these holes being aligned with the respective tappedholes 27 in ring 1 when ring 29 is brought into overlying relation withring 1, as illustrated in FIG. 9.

Twenty larger-diameter tapped holes 32 are provided in ring 29 near theinner edge thereof, these latter holes corresponding more or less to therespective tapped holes 28 in ring 1 when ring 29 is brought intooverlying relation with ring 1 (see FIG. 9).

An annular groove 33, for the accommodation therein of an O-ring, is cutinto the upper (i.e., outer) face of ring 29, near the inner edgethereof. An annular groove 34, for the accommodation therein of anO-ring, is cut into the lower (i.e., inner) face of ring 29, near theouter edge thereof.

Refer now to FIG. 9, which is a partial sectional view illustrating awave reactor utilizing the port ring assembly no elongated member isshown in groove 2; however, it is desired to be pointed out that whenthe port ring assembly is assembled, an elongated member (of any one ofthe three kinds described previously) would of course be placed in eachone of the multiplicity of grooves 2.

After the desired porting arrangement has been formed in the holder ring1 by means of the radially-adjustable square rods 3 or square tubes 4(or sampling members 21) in grooves 2, an O-ring 35 is placed in groove34 of clamp ring 29. Then, a port ring sandwich assembly is formed bybringing clamp ring 29 into overlying face-toface relationship withholder ring 1, the lower or inner face of clamp or cover ring 29engaging the upper face of holder ring 1 (said upper face being providedprincipally by the upper faces of the dividers which separate grooves 2in ring 1). The O-ring 35 provides an annular sealing area between clampring 29 and holder ring 1, near the radially-outer edge of the port ringassembly. Machine screws 36, which pass through the clearance holes 31in clamp ring 29 and thread into the tapped holes 27 in holder ring 1,hold the two halves of the port ring assembly together and bring O-ring35 into proper scaling position.

For use in a wave reactor, the port ring assembly 1, 29, etc., describedup to this point is mounted to surround a disc assembly 37 which isrotated (during operation of the wave reactor) at a high rate of speedand which carries, diametrically of the disc, a straight elongated shocktube of square cross-section. For example, the port ring assembly 1, 29,etc., according to this invention may be used as a substitute for theport-ring-and-manifold combination described in my copending applicationSer. No. 326,009. For a detailed description of the disc assembly 37,reference may be had to my copending application, Ser. No. 329,729,filed Dec. 11, 1963, now Patent No. 3,235,341, granted Feb. 15, 1966.Speaking generally, the aforementioned shock tube extends transverselyto the axis of rotation of the disc assembly 37 (and transversely alsoto the longitudinal axis of the port ring assembly 1, 29, etc.), and asthe disc assembly rotates in essentially a vertical plane, the ends ofthe shock tube carried by the disc pass by the radially-inner ends ofthe grooves 2.

After a suitable O-ring 39 has been placed in groove 26 of ring 1, arear cover plate 38, which is more or less disc-shaped, is secured tothe lower (i.e., outer or rear) face of ring 1 by means of bolts 40which pass through a circular array of clearance holes provided in thecover plate and thread into the tapped holes 28 in ring 1. The O-ring 39provides an annular sealing area between holder ring 1 and cover plate33, near the radially-inner edge of the port ring assembly 1, 29, etc.,and inside the circle of bolts 40. The cover plate 38 may correspond tothe cover plate 80 of my aforementioned application Ser. No. 326,- 009,and the driving means for the disc assembly 37 may for example bearranged as deescribed in the said application.

After a suitable O-ring 41 has been placed in groove 33 of ring 29, afront cover plate 42, which is more or less disc-shaped, is secured tothe upper (or outer) face of ring 29 by means of bolts 43 which passthrough a circular array of clearance holes provided in the cover plateand thread into the tapped holes 32 in ring 29. The O- ring provides anannular sealing area between clamp ring 29 and cover plate 42, near theradially-inner edge of the port ring assembly 1, 29, etc., and insidethe circle of bolts 43. The cover plate 42 may correspond to the coverplate 91 of my previously-mentioned application Ser. No. 326,009, andthe inspection windows for the shock tube may for example be arranged incover plate 42 as described in the said prior application.

Now refer to FIG. 10, which is a somewhat schematic representation ofthe holder section 1 of the port ring assembly of this invention, as itmight be (typically) set up for operation in a wave reactor. Forconvenience in illustration, the diametrically-opposite driver gasconduits 15 and nozzle openings 13 are illustrated as centered on avertical diameter of the ring 1; in an actual wave reactor, these itemswould be centered on a horizontal diameter of the ring.

In diametrically-opposite angular regions of the ring 1 just beyond (inthe direction of rotation of the disc and shock tube, which as indicatedis clockwise in FIG. 10) each of the driver gas nozzle openings 13,there are provided two diametrically-opposite sets of ports in the ringfor removal, by expansion, of the driver gas; these ports are provided,according to this invention, by utilizing pieces of square tubing suchas 4 in inserted position in the appropriate grooves 2. These ports(tubes) for expansion of the driver gas may each cover an angle a fromthe driver gas nozzle openings 13, and the expansion may for exampletake place in three separate stages. The first group of expansion ports(on each side of the ring 1) is coupled together by means of a firstmanifold 44, the second group of expansion ports (on each side of thering) is coupled together by means of a second manifold 45, and thethird group of expansion ports (on each side of the ring) is coupledtogether by means of a third manifold 46. Thus, the manifolds 44, 45,and 46 rep-resent respectively the three separate stages of driver gasexpansion.

At the upper side of the ring, a group of rods such as 3 are placed inrespective grooves 2 in the inserted position throughout the angle b toprovide in etiect a solid wall for the ring over this angle b, whichimmediately adjoins the upper angle a in the direction of rotation ofthe disc.

Just clockwise of angle [1, a group of elongated members such as 3' and4 are placed in respective grooves 2 in the retracted positionthroughout the angle to provide a continuous recess or pocket 5 at theinner edge of ring 1. Within this angle c, certain of the elongatedmembers are pieces of tubing such as 4 (to which the round tubing 6 isconnected, as previously described) which are used for removal ofproduct from the reactor; the remainder of the elongated members withinangle 0 are rods such as 3', with the exception of a sampling member 21which is illustrated as included within the angle c.

Just clockwise of angle 0, a group of rods such as 3 are placed inrespective grooves 2 in the inserted position throughout the angle d toprovide in effect a solid wall for the ring 1 over this angle d; thelower driver gas nozzle opening 13 is just clockwise of angle d.

At the lower side of the ring, a group of rods such as 3 are placed inrespective grooves 2 in the inserted position throughout the angle e toprovide in effect a solid wall for the ring over this angle e, whichimmediately 3 adjoins the lower angle a in the direction of rotation ofthe disc. Angle e is smaller than angle b.

Just clockwise of angle e, a group of elongated members such as 3' and 4are placed in respective grooves in the retracted position throughoutthe angle f to provide a continuous recess or pocket 5 at the inner edgeof ring 1. Angle is larger than angle 0. Within this angle f, certain ofthe elongated members are pieces of tubing such as 4 (to which the roundtubing 6 is connected, as previously described) which are used forfeeding of the process gas or reactant material to the reactor; theremainder of the elongated members within angle 1 are rods such as 3.

Just clockwise of angle 1, a group of rods such as 3 are placed ingrooves 2 in the inserted position throughout the angle g to provide ineffect a solid wall for the ring 1 over this angle g; the upper drivergas nozzle opening 13 is just clockwise of angle g. Angle g is smallerthan angle d.

The action which may occur during one complete revolution of the discassembly 37, which assembly includes the aforementioned shock tube, willnow be described. This description corresponds more or less to thatcontained in my application Ser. No. 326,009.

As one end of the shock tube carried by the disc (which is rotating inthe clockwise direction within the port ring assembly, as indicated bythe legended arrow in FIG. 10) comes into communication with recess 5(by rotating past the counterclockwise end of this recess), process gasbegins to fiow into this end of the tube, since said recess is coupled(by means of tubes 6, and the square tubing pieces within the port ringgrooves) to a source of process gas. This flow or feed of process gascontinues throughout the travel of said one end of the shock tubethrough the angle 1.

Now back-tracking, as rotation of the shock tube continues beyond asmall initial portion of angle f, the other end of the tube rotates pastthe counterclockwise end of recess 5. Discharging of product gases froma previous cycle of operation commences via the square tubing piecesincluded in this recess, and via the tubes 6, a flushing action beingproduced by the continued intake of process gas, as said one end of theshock tube continues to rotate past recess 5. The discharge or exhausttakes place, of course, via the said other end of the shock tube. Thisdischarging or exhaust continues as said other end of the tube rotatespast recess 5, until this other end passes the clockwise end of therecess. When the said other end of the shock tube passes the samplingelement 21, a sample is taken from a certain portion of the area of saidother end of the tube, and is fed to sample chamber 26.

After the said other end of the shock tube has passed the clockwise endof recess 5, the exhaust ceases, but reactant material (process gas)continues to be fed into said one end of the tube as this one end passesthrough the remaining portion of angle Said one end of the shock tubethereafter (to wit, after passing through angle g) comes into suddencommunication with the upper nozzle opening 13, and at this same instantsaid other end of the tube comes into sudden communication with thelower nozzle opening 13. Both ends of the shock tube are thus suddenlyconnected to the reservoir of high pressure driver gas. Two shock wavesare thereby created, as described in detail in the above-mentionedapplication Ser. No. 326,009. The process gas in the shock tube isthereby compressed and brought very rapidly to the reaction temperature.The adiabatic compression process is completed by the time the ends ofthe tube have completed their travel past the nozzle openings 13.

Said one end of the shock tube thereafter comes into communication withthe first of the upper tubes which provide expansion ports (for removalof the driver gas by expansion), and simultaneously said other end ofthe tube comes into communication with the first of the lower tubeswhich provide expansion ports. As said one end of the tube travelsthrough the upper angle a, three expansion processes take place, asdescribed in my application Ser. No. 326,009, and as said other end ofthe tube travels simultaneously through the lower angle a, three similarexpansion processes take place, utilizing manifolds 44, 45, and 46respectively, with the result that by the end of the three expansionprocesses (i.e., when travel through the angle a is completed),substantially all the driver gas has left the shock tube.

Af.er said other end of the shock tube travels through the angle e,which measures a solid wall, it comes into communication with recess andprocess'gas begins to flow into this end of the tube, this flowcontinuing to take place throughout the travel of said other end of thetube past the said recess. Shortly after the beginning of this intakeinto said other end of the tube, said one end of the tube (after it hastraveled through the angle b) travels past the counterclockwise end ofrecess 5. Discharging of product gases again commences via the tubescoupled to recess 5, a flushing action again being produced by thecontinued intake of process gas as said other end of the tube continuesto rotate past recess 5'. The discharge or exhaust now takes place viesaid one end of the shock tube. Discharge and flushing continues as saidone end of the tube rotates past recess 5, until this one end passes theclockwise end of this recess. During the travel of said one end of theshock tube through angle 0, it comes opposite sampling member 21, and asample is taken. Feed of process gas into said other end of the tubecontinues after the cessation of exhaust from said one tube end, untilsaid other tube end passes the clockwise end of recess 5'.

Said one end of the shock tube, after it has traveled through the angled, comes into sudden communication with the lower nozzle opening 13, andat this same instant said other end of the tube (having traveled throughthe angle g) comes into sudden communication with the up per nozzleopening 13. Two shock waves are again created, bringing the process gasin the tube rapidly to the reaction temperature.

Said one end of the tube thereafter comes into communication with thefirst of the lower tubes which provide expansion ports, andsimultaneously said other end of the tube comes into communication withthe first of the upper tubes which provide expansion ports. As said oneend of the tube travels through the lower angle a, three expansionprocesses take place as before, and three similar expansion processestake place as said other end of the tube travels through the upper anglea. At the end of the third expansion process, substantially all thedriver gas has left the shock tube.

Thereafter, said one end of the shock tube travels through the angle eto reach the counterclockwise end of recess 5, and somewhat later, saidother end of the tube (having traveled through the angle [2) reaches thecounterclockwise end of recess 5. The shock tube (carried by the disc)has now rotated through 360, and the action previously described beginsto repeat as said one end of the tube again comes into communicationwith recess 5'. It may be seen that there are actually two intake andtwo exhaust cycles, and two compression cycles and two expansion cycles,during each 360 of rotation (i.e., during each complete revolution) ofthe shock tube.

The angles a, [1, etc. (FIG. 10) can be any multiple of 3 with standardinserts, that is, with the standard groove-mounted square tubes orsquare rods previously described, since the grooves 2 are 3 apart.Special inserts may be utilized in the port ring assembly to make theseangles of some other value, if desired. Such inserts, if utilized, wouldbe positioned within the (annular) space between the radially-inner endof the grooves 2 and the radially-inner edge of ring I.

The invention claimed is:

1. In a wave reactor utilizing a straight elongated shock tube rotatablydriven about an axis transverse to its length within a port ring whoselongitudinal axis is substantially collinear with the axis of rotationof said tubezan improved port ring assembly comprising a ring-shapedholder having a plurality of radially-extending grooves therein; aplurality of elongated members one of which is removably positioned ineach respective one of said grooves, said members being alternatively ofeither tubular or solid construction; and a ring-shaped cover detachablysecured to said holder to retain said members in position in the grooveswhile allowing, when said cover is detached from said holder, a changein the distribution of said members in said grooves.

2. Port ring assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein each of saidmembers may be adjusted longitudinally in its groove to a desiredposition, prior to the securing of said cover to said holder.

3. Port ring assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least oneof the tubular members has a reduced cross-section at its radially-innerend.

4. Port ring assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said grooves aresubstantially U-shaped but with square corners.

5. Port ring assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein the cross-sectionof each of said members is substantially square in outer configuration.

6. Port ring assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said grooves aresubstantially U-shaped but with square corners, and wherein thecross-section of each of said members is substantially square in outerconfiguration.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,254,960 6/1966 Hansel 23-252JOSEPH SCOVRONEK, Acting Primary Examiner. JAMES H. TAYMAN, ]R.,Examiner.

1. IN A WVE REACTO UTILIZING A STRAIGHT ELONGATED SHOCK TUBE ROTATABLEDRIVEN ABOUT AN AXIS TRANSVERSE TO ITS LENGTH WITHIN A PORT RING WHOSELONGTRITUDINAL AXIS IS SUBSTANTIALLY COLLINEAR WITHTHE AXIS OF ROTATIONOF SAID TUBE: AN IMPROVED PORT RING ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A RING-SHAPEDHOLDER HAVING APLURALITY OF RADIALLY-EXTENDING GROOVES THEREIN; APLURALITY OF ELONGATED MEMBERS ONE OF WHICH IS REMOVABLY POSITIONED INEACH RESPECTIVE ONE OF SAID GROOVES, SAID MEMBERS BEING ALTERNATIVELY OFEITHER TUBULAR OR SOLID CONSTRUCTION; AND A RING-SHAPED COVER DETACHABLYSECURED TO SAID HOLDER TO RETAIN SAID MEMBERS IN POSITION IN THEGROOVEDS HWILE ALLOWING, WHEN SAID COVER IS DETACHED FROM SAID HOLDER, ACHANGE IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF SAID MEMBERS IN SAID GROOVES.